Ball Joint Help

Ok I'm on my second set of ball joints and tried to install a set of Crown HD ball joints and didn't have any luck. Seems that the taper in the stud is not machined correctly and the upper is leaking grease from the top plate. So with that said I have decided to spend the money and buy the dynatrac's. I don't want to have to keep doing joints, 500 bucks is a huge nut to swallow. Should I do it or try synergy ball joints for half the cost? I'm looking to hear the good and the bad. Thanks for reading

I have the crown HD bjs, other then rusting really quick, i cant comment on them lasting as i only have about 3k miles on them. If these turn out to go bad quick. I will go on to the Dynatracs to avoid going through multiple bjs.

Its my understanding the Crown, Synergy, and Alloys are all made at the same place and are just sold under different names. I just unstalled the Crown HD's about 500 miles ago so Im hoping that they last for a while.

Dynatrac's. There is a reason people put out the extra money on the front end and it's so that they don't have to continue to do so on the back end as you're experiencing now.

I would go with Dynatrac's over any other brand. I went through two sets of factory ball joints lasting about 18k miles each with my 37's. Still on the set of Dynatrac's I bought last year and have put 25k miles on them and they are holding up real well. Well worth the extra money.

The comparison pics of the ProSteer's vs. OEM ball joints Eddie has posted in the past is what sold me. Just installed mine this weekend in preperation for the 37's. I was surprised how loose the factory joints were after 25k miles with stock suspension and tires. Wasn't expecting much of a difference after the install but...wow! Rides great!

Havoc40 said:

The comparison pics of the ProSteer's vs. OEM ball joints Eddie has posted in the past is what sold me. Just installed mine this weekend in preperation for the 37's. I was surprised how loose the factory joints were after 25k miles with stock suspension and tires. Wasn't expecting much of a difference after the install but...wow! Rides great!

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Great choice. Buy once, cry once.

Ok, probably a dumb question, but how do you know when your ball joints are going bad? (what driving condition prompts you to check them?)

Play in steering or noise over bumps typically. Rather than explain on here how to check them, you can probably fine a youtube video that will be easier for you to visualize. Basically you need a jack and a pry bar.

wcarlson40 said:

Ok, probably a dumb question, but how do you know when your ball joints are going bad? (what driving condition prompts you to check them?)

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Jack up one front tire to where it is barely off of the ground. I like to use a shovel and place the spade under the tire. Push down on the handle which would push up on the spade and cause the tire to go up. Your not trying to put much pressure on it, just enough that if there is movement, you would see it. If they are really bad, you may see the wheel drop a little as you jack the axle up. If your hub is worn out, you may get movement in it also by doing this. So make sure you check both and really anytime you are checking the front end you should check out everything for movement. Dont just stop at the first thing that you find loose. Its not as big of a deal on a straight front axle vehicle, but on others you have to get an alignment and if you catch everything that is loose the first time, you will save yourself time and money.

Jeepers46 said:

Its my understanding the Crown, Synergy, and Alloys are all made at the same place and are just sold under different names. I just unstalled the Crown HD's about 500 miles ago so Im hoping that they last for a while.

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This ^^^^

They are ALL the same joint only in different boxes and priced according to who's selling them.

wcarlson40 said:

Ok, probably a dumb question, but how do you know when your ball joints are going bad? (what driving condition prompts you to check them?)

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Most people start looking at their ball joints after having an episode of death wobble and have verified that their track bar bolts and bushings are good. Although, there are things you can do to check them before you get to that point.

If you have a dial indicator, it will be the best way to measure ball joint play. But, there are things you can do to check it without one and, if they are really bad, you won't need one.

Here what you do:
1. From the axle, use a good floor jack to lift one of your tire off the ground. If you don't have a good floor jack, set your axle on a jack stand to hold it up securely in place.
2. From the side, place a long pry bar under the tire and have someone lift it up and down while you watch the lower ball joint for axial (up and down) movement. Any movement more than 0.050" is too much and would indicate that your ball joint is bad. Of course, if you can see this movement with your eyes, it's definitely bad.
3. Next, grab the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock position and try to rock it back and forth while you have someone watch the upper joint for any movement. Any radial (side-to-side) movement more than 0.060" is too much. Again, if you can see the movement with your eyes and without any dial indicator, it's probably bad as well.

To be clear, it doesn't take much to make your ball joints bad and that's why you really want to use a dial indicator to test them out. You can rent one for free at Autozone and the like.

wayoflife said:

Here what you do:
1. From the axle, use a good floor jack to lift one of your tire off the ground. If you don't have a good floor jack, set your axle on a jack stand to hold it up securely in place.
2. From the side, place a long pry bar under the tire and have someone lift it up and down while you watch the lower ball joint for axial (up and down) movement. Any movement more than 0.050" is too much and would indicate that your ball joint is bad. Of course, if you can see this movement with your eyes, it's definitely bad.
3. Next, grab the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock position and try to rock it back and forth while you have someone watch the upper joint for any movement. Any radial (side-to-side) movement more than 0.060" is too much. Again, if you can see the movement with your eyes and without any dial indicator, it's probably bad as well.

To be clear, it doesn't take much to make your ball joints bad and that's why you really want to use a dial indicator to test them out. You can rent one for free at Autozone and the like.

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Damn man! This is great info. You are much more thorough than me :shock: I just grab the tire and give it a shake test and try to see if I feel/see any movement :yup: If Alana is around I try to have her look/feel while I shake for a better look <-:brows: Insert silly comment here :brows:

I'm going to check this your way next time the Jeeps are in the air.

wayoflife said:

This ^^^^

They are ALL the same joint only in different boxes and priced according to who's selling them.

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I bought the crowns on your suggestion. Wish they worked out but one set is fine and the other is bad. Live and learn I guess, went with the best so I can have peace of mind knowing that I won't have to do this again in 20k...